I think slower is better and safer. Take a look at the past contestants of the Biggest Loser. Many of them have regained the weight

I think the reason people might go for speedy weight loss is that the results are attained faster. It gives more of a mental boost. However, most fad diets aren't healthy. I don't think it matters how you diet though in the long run when it comes to maintaining. If one eats too much and doesn't maintain the weight will come back.

Really? I have always heard the opposite, that slow weight loss is sustained and kept off instead of quick weight loss....even my doctor told me that!
I think I started this in Summer 2008 and started at 280+ and now I am 170. I have been able to keep it off so far! It has slowed down, and I really wanted to be around 150 and I know I still have "fat" to lose...but have still been able to maintain it so far...

I've lost weight the slow way, and I've lost weight very quickly. Getting the weight off isn't the hard part. Keeping it off is! Fast or slow, if you don't consistently follow a healthy diet, you will gain all the weight back...usually plus a few. Every single time I have gained weight, it has been because I have fallen back into bad eating habits. I don't think it had anything to do with how fast or how slow I lost the weight. I know several people who have lost weight and maintained it for years. Some of them did it quickly some not. What it all comes down to is changing your attitude about food and recognizing just how much you really need to be eating to maintain the weight you desire. Since my experience has taught me that it really doesn't matter how fast or slow I lose the weight, as long as I continue to follow a healthy diet afterward...I am completely cool with getting the weight off quickly through healthy diet and exercise. Taking months to lose a few pounds just doesn't motivate me at all. But that's just me :)

Its a funny world, while many of us are trying to find ways to reduce weight there are quite a few people who suffer from excessive weight loss and therefore do not have good health. Though the number of such people are far less compared to those with excess weight issues there are programs that can help such people address this problem. If you teen aged child is suffering from eating disorder then a wilderness program can be looked upon as a means of cure.